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Europe is facing multiple crises of increasing inequality, rising racism and xenophobia, economic recession, and democratic deficit that are rooted in intersecting systems of oppressions of capitalism, racism, patriarchy, ableism, and more. These are at the roots of the different forms of social injustices affecting our societies (economic, racial, gender, etc). The climate crisis will magnify and exacerbate these injustices and put European societies at risk of instability, division, and democratic backsliding.
At this moment so many people are dissatisfied with how institutions work, and disappointed by traditional parties. Some fall into apathy and disengage from the democratic and civic life, others become prone to reactionary populist ideas, as we see in many countries. Those who are able to channel citizens’ dissatisfaction into action will be able to win and build power. Organizing can offer a counterbalance to reactionary populism by talking to people and channeling their dissatisfaction into struggles within the confines of democracy
We believe organizing is a systemic and intersectional approach to respond to the current multiple crises. It builds the bottom-up people power behind the demands for change to the status quo and transform power relations. If pursued strategically over the long term, it can lead to wide scale systemic change towards a progressive agenda.
The organizing process emphasizes targeted outreach in, and long-term trust-building with, key constituencies, often located in already marginalized communities. Organizers listen to people’s problems and help people talk to each other, build strong constituencies which can have enough power – because of their numbers, the trust, and the relations to one another – to challenge injustices.
We work against fragmentation of societies because we build constituencies which recognize their overlapping interests and will not see each other as enemies but work together for common goals. Organizers seek to identify “organic leaders” in the community (those with a following) and to engage those people in a patient process of leadership development, as well as campaigns that seek to build bottom-up power and to transform material conditions for directly impacted communities. ECON’s role as a network focused on community organizing is to organize organizations into a progressive movement for social and environmental justice.
The outcomes of community organizing are changes in the very fabric of civil society and democracy, in deepening and expanding the ability of the most impacted communities and all communities to meaningfully engage and participate in democracy and decisions that affect their lives. This transforms and strengthens the quality of democracy for all
There are various conceptualisations of community organizing because it is a diverse and evolving practice that emerged in different contexts with different names and features, was developed through multiple efforts,and it continues to be adapted to different contexts and cultures.
People who define their work as “community organizers” typically employ a number of similar tools in their work, for example: building relationships through one-on-one conversations, and face-to-face community outreach with local residents; developing local leadership of people from the community who may feel they have no agency and involve them in the campaign; Planning and implementing campaigns that address issues identified by local residents during one-on-one outreach in the community. The campaign could involve research on the issue and who has power to on the issue, recruiting new people and developing their leadership, engaging officials, speaking to the media, engaging allies from outside the community.
Organizing groups use different strategies and tactics to generate collective power to put pressure on the decision-makers and be able to negotiate changes in public policy and social systems, and to shift the public narrative in support of justice, sustainability and democracy.
A “community organizer”, whether working as a volunteer or in a professional capacity, often emerges from communities from which the organizing is happening, or if they don’t they should be able to build trusting and accountable relationships in communities not their own. Good organizers share leadership and demonstrate an awareness of the privilege they carry based on their institutional position, and their ability to shape decisions of the group.
At ECON, we value the diversity of organizing practices among ECON members and partners. We develop our organizing practice through the praxis of doing, reflecting, learning, and applying the lessons learned.
ECON is a hub for the community organizing movement in Europe. We support organizers, groups and organizations to build collective power to respond to systemic injustices and emerging crises and create a just and democratic future for all